Geography of Smolensk
Smolensk, Russia, a city on the Dnieper River, about 230 miles (370 km) southwest of Moscow. Smolensk is an industrial city and a major transportation junction. Industries include the making of textiles, processed foods, and machinery. Among the notable structures in Smolensk are Assumption Cathedral, the walls and towers of a 16th-century kremlin (fortress), and a monument to the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka.
Known since the late ninth century, Smolensk is one of Russia's oldest cities. After a period of independence during the 12th and 13th centuries, the city was held successively by Lithuanians, Muscovites, and Poles. It was formally granted to Russia by Poland in 1667. Napoleon captured Smolensk in 1812 during his Moscow campaign. In World War II Smolensk was occupied by the Germans from 1941 until 1943 and was virtually destroyed in bitter fighting. It has since been rebuilt.
Population: 338,000.